The Penn Libraries Building Bridges Program was established by Eddy Costa, C’98 and Lia Costa in 2024. The program recognizes the Penn Libraries as the heart of the University, providing a venue for students, faculty, and community members to freely access information and ideas. It is in this spirit of equitable information and exchange of ideas that the Building Bridges Program supports events and partnerships that foster dialogue across differences, using civil discourse to "build bridges" across the Penn community.
Acknowledging increasing divisiveness in today’s society, through this program the Penn Libraries looks to provide a sanctuary for spirited discussion and respectful debate to foster learning. Engaging in civil discourse is core to a liberal arts education, as it encourages students to think critically about their own beliefs and those of others. It promotes an environment where individuals can evaluate arguments, evidence, and reasoning, leading to more informed decision-making.
The Building Bridges Program brings student groups and speakers together at the Libraries to practice and demonstrate civil discourse. By hosting student groups like the Penn Political Union, speakers with differing viewpoints sponsored by the SNF Paideia Program, or researchers who study the benefits of civil discourse, the Libraries acts as convener to amplify the role of productive discussion, collaboration, and compromise in University life. The inaugural program was a discussion with Kenneth Stern, the director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate.
This discussion brings together an eminent and diverse panel to ponder the state of both conservatism and the Republican Party in an era in which Donald Trump is the clear dominant force in GOP — and American — politics.
This interactive lunch workshop features a student-led conversation with Dr. Matthew Levendusky, a Penn political science professor, about his research-based advice for engaging in constructive dialogue about politics and the upcoming US election.
Even before the Hamas attack on October 7, and Israel’s response, some campuses were seeing efforts from partisans on each side to vilify, and silence, partisans on the other. How do we understand the current moment?
